TROY'S COLUMN — A flood of water and politicians

The heavy rain which fell more than a week ago made for some interesting conversations over the last days, as folks talked about just how much water they had in the basement.

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Redwood Falls Gazette

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Posted Jun. 27, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Posted Jun. 27, 2014 at 12:01 AM

The heavy rain which fell more than a week ago made for some interesting conversations over the last days, as folks talked about just how much water they had in the basement. For some it was a huge challenge, as they had to trudge knee deep in water that, in some cases, included more than just water, and for others the complaining was set aside as they worked to clean up their own basements and then moved on to help others. The Krause home had some water in the basement, and because I had to be at work, the family had to vacuum out and dry up things. When they finished, they joined others at our church in Echo to help clean up there. As I drove from place to place around town over the weekend, there were times when entire blocks looked as if they were hosting garage sales, but in fact what they were doing was attempting to dry out the items they had stored in their basement which were soaked by the water that flowed into their homes. I made a comment to a couple of people wondering aloud why we keep storing our valuable possessions in our basements, when we know there is the chance for them to get ruined on a regular basis. Yes, I know basements are a great storage area, and, for many, the basement is a cooler environment where one enjoys relaxing. Even I have far too many items, including all of my books for goodness sake, in the basement. Yes, we are all taking a risk, but I guess that’s part of what it means to be a homeowner in this part of the world. After all, we can’t just use that entire area below ground as a storm shelter, especially when it is pouring outside. … Over the next several weeks, we are all going to be inundated with propaganda from politicians seeking our vote, in advance of the primary election which is being held Aug. 12. In most years, the primary is not a huge event, but for those seeking to have their name on the ballot representing the Republican party in the race for governor, this is going to be a very important time. While turnout is traditionally low during a primary, those candidates know the trends, and over time the data shows people in rural areas of Minnesota tend to vote more often in a primary election compared to those from larger, more metro areas. I have already observed how this is going to play out, as the politicians have been sending me e-mails just about every day, and a couple have even stopped by the office. This past Friday, Bill Kuisle, who is running for lieutenant governor on the Jeff Johnson ticket, stopped in the office in the morning, and that afternoon, Marty Seifert made another stop by the office to talk. Seifert stuck around and walked in the community parade. I also saw him Saturday at the parade in Milroy. I want to encourage you to learn about the candidates and then to let your voice be heard in the primary election in August. Try and have some fun this political season, because either way they’re coming.